The ruling Workers Party’s candidate was elected Brazil’s president on Sunday, after winning 55.49 percent of the vote.

“Please accept my sincere congratulations on your clear-cut victory…Over the past few years we have seen tangible results in the development of friendship and cooperation between Russia and Brazil,” Medvedev’s message read.

Brazil’s outgoing president, Lula de Silva, was first elected in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. Under the Brazilian Constitution, the president can only be elected for two consecutive four-year terms.